Dell's New PCs Use Recycled Plastic Equivalent to Three Water Bottles

Dell's new OptiPlex 960 uses a little post-consumer recycled plastic in its casing. According to OptiPlex's product manager, it equates to about three plastic water bottles recycled into each PC casing.

All that eco-minded consumers have to do is fight the urge to say, "Ho hum "

Okay — sarcasm aside, there are some great elements to the OptiPlex 960 that make it actually interesting as a greener computer option for big purchasers. The desktop has attained an EPEAT Gold ranking and Energy Star 4.0 rating. Part of the EPEAT rank comes from using a minimum amount of post-consumer plastic. However, Dell doesn't go for the extra EPEAT points by increasing the amount they use. Still, they hit a score of 19 for 24 points, which is pretty high — and that includes perfect scores in several areas from end-of-life design to reducing or eliminating toxic materials.

For the Energy Star rating, Dell managed to redesign the power supply for 88% higher efficiency than previous desktops. Along with a long list of other green features, this PC is aimed at institutions that buy in bulk. That means a whole lot of greener PCs floating around in universities and businesses.

That particular point is perhaps the most interesting. For businesses who want to save money through energy efficiency, as well as put a little green on their sleeves, the OptiPlex 960 is perhaps the strongest contender for their dollars. For Dell to make this the main focus of their marketing underscores our cultural shift to a green-focused mindset. Hopefully, customers will buy the trees along with the PCs.